Thought for the Month

`The Prayer'

Slow me down, Lord.
Ease the pounding of my heart
by the quieting of my mind.
Steady my hurried pace
with a vision
of the eternal reach of time.
Give me,
amidst the confusions of the day,
the calmness
of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions
of my nerves and muscles
with the soothing music
of the singing streams
that live in my memory.
Help me to know
the magical and restoring power
of sleep.

Teach me the art
of taking minute vacations,
of slowing down
to look at a flower,
to chat with a friend,
to pat a dog,
to read a few lines
from a good book.

Slow me down Lord,
and inspire me
to send my roots
into the soil
of life's enduring values
that I may grow
toward the start
of my greater destiny.